Sugar Love
by RikkaidaiPrincess
Summary: The independent, study-focused Kyoko Minami has to tutor this self-proclaimed genius of Rikkai tennis club named Bunta Marui. Read as their sweet/bitter love starts to blossom when the serious student council president falls in love with the carefree sugar freak of Rikkai.
1. The green bubble gum

**Author's note: **So here I am again. I'm totally enjoying writing my imaginations here, haha. This time, the story will be about the sugar-freak tensai of Rikkai. I hope you enjoy reading! As for my other stories, I will be updating them soon. :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own PoT.

* * *

After stepping foot at the gates of Rikkaidai Fuzoku Chuu, Minami Kyoko – a female with black braided hair and spectacles, let out a sigh before proceeding inside. It's another year for her in this school and finally, this will be her last year. Kyoko doesn't really have anything fun in mind, actually – for she's not as pretty as the other girls nor sexy, she's just an average female who's barely noticeable in her surroundings; she's rather enthusiastic that she'll be graduating soon. That would mean she'll be in high school, next would be college, then lastly – she'll be able to work. Her entire middle school life was spent studying, being the class representative and student council president. To be more precise, she does her best in her studies and is a nerd because she can't think of anything else but to help her mother - so she won't have to exhaust herself by working at day until night.

Upon sliding the door open, some eyes were fixed at her but soon averted their gazes – continuing where they all left earlier. She's actually known as one of those strict nerds who doesn't know how to smile at their school and Kyoko prefers it that way; she don't really want anything getting in the way of her studies.

"Good morning, Minami-san." A girl named Yoshikawa Natsume, her former vice-president at the student council greeted.

"Good morning, Yoshikawa-san." The other female responded with a small, benevolent smile.

"Do you plan running as a student council president again this year?" Natsume asked straightforwardly as she let herself sit beside the black-haired female.

"Why, yes." Kyoko replied as she reached for her book inside her bag, starting to read some stuff regarding their first subject.

Her reply made Natsume's lips curve up to a smile as she held out a hand to Kyoko, tilting her head to the side as she smiled widely. "I'm glad to be working with you again this year." She said which made the other female blink in surprise, however, Kyoko sent her a smile too before reaching for her hand – shaking it lightly. "Let's do our best again this year." She stated before proceeding to read her book when the door slid open – revealing two good-looking men from the tennis club known as Masaharu Niou and Bunta Marui. As the two of them entered the classroom, the chattering became abruptly loud and some girls started to squeal – waving their hands at the males with hopes that they would notice and wave back. Unfortunately, the other one didn't seem to care while the other raised his fingers into a peace sign, winking.

"The genius will be here in this class, all of you must be honored because you'll see my genius performances." He stated proudly, popping a green bubble gum.

Kyoko had the sudden urge to tell him to refrain from chewing bubble gum inside the classroom, however, she's not the class representative nor the student council president yet so she doesn't really have the power to tell him otherwise; rule is still rule though, and none of them students have the right to break it.

"Please refrain from chewing bubble gum inside the school premises." Kyoko stated as she stood up, gray orbs meeting magenta ones. The female has heard about the popularity of the club and its members, especially Yukimura, Marui and Niou. They are most likely the most popular members of the said club, however, she knows none of them personally and doesn't judge them by their looks. Just looking at these two men, though – she hoped that they aren't like those troublemakers.

After the intense staring competition between the two, Marui just shrugged and walked to the near trashcan, spitting out his gum before heading towards his seat. Kyoko fought the urge of letting out a sigh; she don't want to seem rude on the first day but being the responsible type, she just can't let this slip so easily. When the class has started, she was chosen as the class representative of course, being the former student council president and future one.

"Okay everyone, we'll have our diagnostic test in Mathematics. I want to see how far you have learned from your past years. Do your best, though. I will be judging your current knowledge in the subject through this test."

* * *

Marui just let out a sigh; diagnostic test in Math on the first day of school and on the first period. Well, there's no need to worry about, he's a genius after all – or so he thought. The red-haired male glanced at his silver-haired seatmate knowing that his best subject is Math, however, the male just smirked at him; which wasn't so surprising because this guy is a bastard after all. He enjoys annoying people.

The sugar-freak could barely answer the questions and finally, when the class ended – the teacher called him.

"Marui-kun, see me after the class later. I have something to discuss with you." The teacher stated before leaving.

Marui swore he just heard Niou snicker. "Do you want to disappear that badly?" He asked the trickster and just gained a smirk from the other as a reply. There's no need to worry, he's a genius after all. The teacher is just probably going to praise him or something. Marui just tried to think of positive things as he got up from his seat to eat lunch; he brought out his bento and pudding which he bought from the nearby convenient store. Niou did the same as his lips fell agape to speak to his teammate. "Oi, oi. Don't eat too much, fatty. You might not be able to run for the practice later. "

"Shut up. I need this to be able to run, you know. And I'm not fat." The other replied which made Niou shrug.

When the classes had ended, as this year's current regular, Marui told Sanada that he'll be late for practice because his Math teacher wanted him to show his genius Math skills once again; after seeing the vice-captain pinch the bridge of his nose, he quickly ran away, not wanting to feel the pain of his slap on the first day of school. The self-proclaimed tensai ran away in full speed with a wide grin on his face; when he turned at the corner, he unexpectedly crashed onto someone. Wincing slightly in pain, he quickly got up as his bright magenta orbs widened at the sight that he actually bumped into a female.

"Sorry, I was—" He was cut-off when he offered his hand, recognizing the female.

"It's okay." Kyoko got up without taking his hand as she brushed off invisible dusts from her skirt and adjusted her glasses.

"You're the girl from my class!" The red-head exclaimed as he held out a hand once again, grinning widely. "I'm Marui Bunta." He added.

Kyoko just nodded and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Bunta-kun. I'm Kyoko Minami. Running through the hallways is strictly prohibited. Please do not repeat this kind of action or you'll continue causing trouble to other students." With that, Kyoko walked away, leaving the currently blinking Marui and just shrugged – continuing to run to the faculty. Marui panted slightly upon reaching the faculty.

"Marui-kun, as you probably already know, the result of your diagnostic test is very… low. Therefore, for you to catch up – you need a tutor." The teacher stated, his eyes lingering at Marui with a disappointed look.

"Ehh." Marui protested. "How am I going to find one then?" He asked, he certainly don't want a fangirl as a tutor. Fangirls are just for sweets, not tutors because they probably won't bother tutoring him at all.

"Don't worry, I already found one. She's just going to be your tutor until you caught up and get high grades, oh there she is." The teacher said as the door slid open – revealing a black-haired female. Kyoko's mouth fell agape and so is Marui's. Kyoko has already accepted her teacher's request and therefore didn't know who's this stupid student who failed such an easy diagnostic test. Now, here she is – in front of the tennis super star who actually failed his Math test.

"I-I see. Very well, then. I know Marui-kun already." She stated, adjusting her glasses.

Marui felt a sweat trickle down his temple as he sighed, nodding. "Fine, I guess this is okay then. Ja, I'll be going now." Marui shrugged and left the room, followed by Kyoko.

"So.. how are we going to do this?" Marui asked, blinking several times.

"First, where then when." Kyoko replied sternly, her glasses glinted.

Somehow finding it creepy, Marui looked away. He was never good dealing with this kind of girl; that's why he prefers the cute, innocent types. "Well.. our house is noisy because of my little brothers. How about yours?" He could feel the hesitant aura around the female but she just nodded.

"Very well. I have a student council meeting today and I assume you have your tennis practice. I will be waiting for you at the gates later. That's all. " Not even bothering to wait for the male's reply, Kyoko turned around to walk away. The tennis player just shrugged and walked the opposite direction – thinking that this would be a long day. If only that Niou helped him, none of this would have happened; he'll get his revenge someday.


	2. The sweetest slice of cake

**Author's note:** So here's the sweet chapter 2! Review for opinions or suggestions. Thank you! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own PoT.

* * *

The regulars are now in the clubroom, changing to their school uniforms for their afternoon practice had just ended. A certain red-head male approached his Brazilian friend, letting out a sigh. "Looks like I won't be able to go home with you today, you can go ahead." Many shifted their gazes to the owner of the voice, curiosity lingering through their eyes.

"Oh? Why?" Jackal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You see, I have a Math tutor today. My teacher said I have to improve my genius skills more. Ja, bye." With that, the sugar-freak headed out of the clubroom, fixing his tie once more. Upon seeing Kyoko waiting in front of the gates, Marui quickly ran towards her – sending her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, how long have you been waiting?" He asked, placing a hand inside his pocket.

"It's okay. I guess I have been waiting for about 15 minutes only. Let's go." Kyoko responded, her façade remaining impassive as she started walking.

"Ah! Wait! Accompany me somewhere for a bit." Marui stated after catching up with her - which made the girl's steps come to a halt; he pointed his thumb at the opposite direction, closing an eye as a wide grin was plastered on his face.

"No." Kyoko replied quickly, making the male's lips form a frown and she answered with a slight frown as well. "We have lots to do. Or rather, I have a lot of things to do than accompanying you somewhere." She added but her eyes widened a bit as the male grabbed her wrist, gently dragging her to the opposite street.

"It's okay, just for a bit. I really need to go there or I won't be able to study." Marui protested, the grin returning on his face. Blinking a few times, Kyoko's lips fell agape and quickly took her wrist back. "Fine. Just for a bit then." She said, sighing in defeat which made the male's grin widen. Marui stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked, chewing on a bubble gum; his magenta orbs then glanced at the female walking a few steps behind him.

"Is there something wrong? You're like walking so far." Marui broke the silence, thinking that she probably don't want to be seen walking with him. Blinking, he saw the female probably twitched when he suddenly spoke.

"No, nothing." She replied and started walking fast, finally walking beside him.

Marui just shrugged and stopped, his grin plastered on his face once again. "We're here." He said and looked up at the shop in front of them. Kyoko did the same and raised an eyebrow, letting it twitch slightly in annoyance. "Sweets.. shop? You dragged me all the way here just for a sweets shop?" She asked, clearly perplexed by the male. "What? It's just for a bit. Come on." Marui didn't mind her being annoyed as long as he can buy his sweets. The male wandered inside the shop – followed by Kyoko, his eyes looking for some sweets that he must buy. Some girls eyed him – whispering, giggling and taking glances. They are probably this shop's regular customers who come here just for Marui. _Girls these days._ Kyoko thought as she looked at the sweets too, thinking that the sweets look.. really good and tempting. When Marui bought a large cake, Kyoko went out of the shop abruptly – she don't want her stomach to growl inside the shop and in front of Marui.

"Are you done now? Let's go." She said, quickening her pace as she walked.

Marui just nodded with a wide smile, he certainly is happy that he got his sweets now. Kyoko let out a sigh, glancing at Marui. Somehow, his smile has this different kind of feeling in it. A refreshing one.. he's like a cheerful little child. No wonder many girls liked him, he's probably too nice to them. Unlike those other popular guys, Marui wasn't a jerk at all. Kyoko guessed that the tutoring will go well if he's like this.

The male glanced around at his surroundings, guessing what Kyoko's house would look like when finally, the female stopped in front of a house. And not just a house.. a very small one and run-down. Blinking a few times, Marui's lips fell agape when he noticed the girl was looking at him.

"What? You think you can't study at a place like this?" Kyoko asked, her eyes filled with… something. Not sadness nor embarrassment that her house is like this. But something else is in her eyes the moment Marui stared at them, he just couldn't figure out what it was. The red-head genius shook his head and smiled proudly.

"What are you saying. This genius can study anywhere as long as it's not noisy." He stated which made Kyoko blink in surprise. She was expecting him to whine or at least say something insulting about her house but he didn't, instead – he kind of looked excited. It's not like Marui is rich or anything like that; however, his family has more than enough money to sustain for their living thus he has the ability to buy all the sweets he that he wants. It just made him wonder that if Kyoko is poor, how can she afford to study in a private school like Rikkaidai Fuzoku Chuu? Marui followed the female as she headed inside, passing through the old, small gates. There's a wooden stairs that leads to the front door of their house and the moment Marui stepped on it, he felt as if it's going to break any minute. _Do I really need to diet?_ He thought as he hurried inside the house before the stairs actually break.

When he made it inside, he wasn't so surprised of how it looks like. It's really simple and clean inside. There's a little table at the middle and in front is a small television, on the floor – there lied four pillows surrounding the table for a couch won't even fit inside a house this diminutive. And there's a door that probably leads to a single room and there's also a kitchen in sight and another door, probably the bathroom. That's all there is to it in the house, there are no furniture at all.

"You can sit anywhere you like." Kyoko said as she took off her shoes and went to sit at one of the pillows on the floor – taking out her study materials. Marui nodded and did the same, placing the box of cake on the table – his eyes wandered around once more.

"So… where are your parents?" Marui asked, as leaned back, letting his hands support him. When Kyoko raised an eyebrow at his question, he blinked and quickly waved his hands. "I don't mean anything to it! I'm just you know. Wondering." He laughed nervously, scratching a finger on his cheek.

"I didn't say anything. My father has another family while my mom is at work." Kyoko responded and watched as Marui nod his head slightly. "Bring out your notes." She added.

"Oh right." Marui muttered as he brought out his Math notes and a pen, before a grin was plastered on his face once again. "Hey, let's eat the cake." He said which made the girl's eyes widen slightly in surprise. "Aren't you going to eat it in your house with your family?" Kyoko asked.

"No, my sweets are for myself though I sometimes bring some for my brothers." He replied, as if eating a whole cake is just a normal thing that a person would do. Kyoko then realized that of course, Marui is not as poor as her and can afford such things whenever he wants it. Conceding, she stood up and took out one small plate accompanied with a fork. "Here." She handed it to him and started opening the Math notes. Marui's magenta orbs blinked several times as he looked at the female. "What about you? Don't you want some?" He asked, he may be a sugar-freak but he's actually generous enough to share his sweets like the last time he shared some with Jirou Akutagawa from Hyotei Gakuen.

"No, thank you." She replied which made the male frown slightly, he actually wanted the people to taste the delicious sweets that he loves so much. How can she decline? Shrugging, he started slicing the cake as he let the female write some stuff on the paper. Marui then started eating his slice happily and glanced at the girl once again. He stared at her dull gray eyes; as if it's full sorrowful memories. Marui then realized that this girl probably never had fun for the rest of her life. Judging from her grades, she's probably a study-freak who does nothing but study. Well, he kind of understood her; with this life, she just probably wants to study hard so they could rise up from poverty.

"Are you a scholar in our school?" He suddenly broke the silence once again, licking the icing from the fork.

Kyoko didn't bother looking at him and continued writing notes before replying. "Yes, as you can see – I'm indigent and can't afford studying there. But thanks to my scholarship, I'm able to do that. I have to maintain my high grades though."

"I see.. it must be tough." Marui replied and leaned closer to her to take a look of the notes she's writing. With that, Kyoko's eyebrow twitched a bit. She quickly looked up from what she's writing only to meet with Marui's countenance, their faces only inches away. Her eyes widened slightly as she was taken aback and quickly moved backwards. Marui blinked a few times as he tilted his head to the side, confused by the female's actions. Pushing up her glasses, she tried to regain her composure.

"What do you mean tough. Isn't it just normal for students to study hard to maintain high grades?" She responded and shoved a paper at his face. "Stop asking and just answer those questions so I'll see what you don't get." She added, looking away.

Surprised by her sudden action, Marui winced slightly but somehow – it made him smile. Taking the paper from his face, he nodded with a grin. "Hai, hai." He replied before taking out his pen, answering the written questions with all the knowledge he knows. Kyoko then started writing easy notes on his notebook, notes than can be easily understood no matter how small the brain of that person. It explained the step by step process of solving, however, Marui still has a long way to go for this isn't the start of their current lessons yet. She's just explaining the basics for it is the most important and he needs to master it first before proceeding to the harder ones.

Almost an hour passed when Marui finished, she started checking his work and surprisingly, he got some of it correct. He probably just doesn't have much time studying because of club activities and tennis is a very tiring sport. Kyoko then started explaining to him what he did wrong and how to solve it properly. By the time they finished, it was already dark outside.

"Ja, I'll be leaving now. Thanks, Minami-chan. Or maybe I should call you Kyoko." Marui sent her a teasing grin which made her eyebrow twitch slightly. Upon observing her, Kyoko wasn't the type to act close with people so she's probably not going to be used to someone calling her first name.

"W-Who do you think you are, Bunt—I mean Marui-kun." She replied, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly in embarrassment. It was a strange feeling that she felt that moment. She never really had a friend who teased her because she never really had a close friend. She had a few friends but she isn't really close to them. But this red-head boy, how could he act close to her – even daring to call her on her first name without honorifics?! Well.. she guessed that's probably why it wasn't awkward being with him or he's probably doing that to avoid awkwardness.

Marui let out a chuckle and stood up, placing his notes inside his bag before heading to the door. "See ya', Kyo-ko-chan." He teased for one last time, popping a green bubble gum before heading out. Kyoko once again felt her cheeks heat up but then heard someone falling from the stairs. He's probably not used to a house having a stairs right at the front door. The side of her lips twitched as she tried not to laugh but failed; she let out a light giggle. It certainly felt good… laughing like this because she found something funny. It has been a long time since it happened. _This isn't so bad, I guess. _She thought, thinking that she'll probably have fun tutoring the carefree male.

Upon standing up, Kyoko noticed something. Something that Marui forgot; the cake! Wait, it's impossible for Marui to forget such an important thing. Staring at it for a while, Kyoko saw a note at the side of the cake.

_"I'm leaving this precious thing here. It's my favorite but I'm giving it to you because I don't want to see you drooling again. You want some, right? What do you think, aren't I genius? You can thank me tomorrow, Kyoko-chan. ^_^"_

After reading the note, Kyoko's lips slowly curled up to smile. Really, that guy is unbelievable. He probably noticed how she's always taking glances at the cake but didn't dare to even taste it. Kyoko couldn't help but smile to herself; thinking that she'll repay him someday. "Thanks.." She muttered against her breath.


	3. The best chocolate chip cookies

**Author's note: **So this is the chapter 3! This chapter is really sweet so please read it! I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own PoT.

* * *

Days passed, the tutoring of the self-proclaimed genius of Rikkai went on and thankfully, there has been a progress for he was able to answer some of the teacher's questions and he's getting higher and higher results from the quizzes and seatwork. Kyoko never got the chance to thank Marui properly for the cake though; her mother was actually so happy that someone gave her a cake because it meant that Kyoko has a good friend at school and she's not alone. Kyoko's mother has always been worried about her for she has been burdening a lot of responsibilities despite the young age.

Today, the girls in their class are having cooking class while the boys are going to do woodworks. Marui frowned throughout the whole time, wanting to cook than doing woodworks; well, it's not like the girls won't give him some food when they finish but still – he enjoys cooking more. When their classes finished, everyone got back to the classroom, except for the girls because they are still wrapping their cookies in beautiful wrappers before giving it to the boys they like. Kyoko finished rather quickly, she didn't really put any cute designs or made an effort to wrap it beautifully, but she did her very best in making those so she could show her proper gratitude.

Without hesitation, Kyoko approached the pouting Marui, raising an eyebrow at him. Marui looked up at her from his seat with his puppy-eyes.

_W-What the—_She thought for a moment before coughing, placing the bag of cookies on his desk.

Marui blinked a few times before his mouth fell agape, his eyes now filled with happiness as he quickly took the bag of cookies so no one would take it. He needed sweets so badly because of the tiring tasks they did in the class.

"I-Is this for me? It is, right?" He asked excitedly, a slight drool now appearing at the side of his lips.

"Y-Yeah. Don't get me wrong, though. I-It's not like I-I made it specially for you or anything. I just want to thank you… for the cake the other day." She stated while looking away before leaving, going back to her own seat.

Magenta orbs blinked once again a few times, finding the female's reaction weird, however – he didn't mind it right now. As long as he got his sweets to replenish his lost energy, it's all fine. Quickly opening the bag, he took one cookie and hungrily ate it. Then all of the sudden, the tennis superstar's face darkened as he held out a hand to his seatmate, asking for water. His seatmate panicked and quickly passed to him his bottle of water. After recovering, Marui panted and looked at the cookies.

"It… was too salty." Marui said to no one in particular as a sweat dropped from his temple.

His gaze went to the student council president who gave it to him and stood up, heading to the trashcan but quickly stopped when his eyes caught the bandages and burnt on her fingers. His eyes widened slightly before letting out a sigh and stuck a hand inside his pocket, reaching for a bubble gum instead. He chewed on one before going back to his seat, staring at the cookies once again; he shrugged before putting it inside his bag. It would be mean to waste someone's effort so he could give it to Akaya to prank him or Niou to get his sweet revenge.

When the girls arrived at the classroom, they all dashed to Marui and Niou, giving the cookies they made to the two boys while the other boys sulked in the corner; somehow wishing that they didn't have any tennis regular in their class and they are actually so unlucky to have two of the most popular guys in the school at the same class. They would always fume at occasions like this because they don't even get to eat a single damn thing from the girls - their last year in middle school was completely ruined by the two. They watched as Marui happily accepted the cookies while Niou accepted it in a bored manner or rather, he is ignoring them while they squeal in front of him with the bag of cookies.

Kyoko secretly took a glance at Marui as he ate the cookies from the other girls; he looked so happy. There's somehow a strange feeling in her chest that she isn't supposed to feel for she already knows that her baking skills can't be up to par with any of these girls. She don't really have those expensive cooking materials nor ingredients for baking but she knows how to cook well. She let out one heavy sigh and continued reading, couldn't help but be slight bothered by the thought.

_That idiot, now I can't concentrate. _She frowned as she thought to herself, gripping her book tightly.

* * *

The day ended rather quickly, the boys' tennis club is now done with their afternoon practice and each members started heading home; except for Marui who's sighing tiredly because he didn't have enough sweets today. A green bubble gum popped as he was reminded about the cookies that Kyoko gave her that morning; he forgot to give it to Akaya or Niou. The self-proclaimed genius just shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets as he headed to the gates – his eyes then quickly caught Kyoko who's waiting for him.

"Yo, sorry for the wait." He raised a hand and just earned a nod from her.

"Huh..?" He blinked in surprise because she would usually scold him for being late and tell him that she has a lot to do today but now, she just nodded. Marui didn't know if he should be glad by her reaction or be scared for it was kind of creepy; being with her for a few days, he kind of knows when she's acting different or not even though it's really hard at times then she'll just suddenly snap and yell at him. However, it's the first time that Kyoko acted like this; she's quieter than before and that kind of scares the hell out of him. It reminds him of Sanada trembling in anger then will just suddenly slap him.

Marui then wondered as they walked if he did anything wrong. So far, he feels like he did nothing wrong for her to be mad at him. His eyes once again glanced at the girl and when the girl's glasses glinted before looking at him, he felt a shiver down his spine.

_W-What's up with her today?_ He asked himself as his right eye twitched.

They soon reached the Minami residence and Marui just settled down quietly, he didn't even get to drag her to the sweets shop because it felt that if he even tried to do so, he will be murdered and the last thing he ever wanted was to die young. He continued chewing on his bubble gum and took out his notes, watching her as she started writing at some paper once again. Now that he took a closer look at her eyes, it's somehow filled with emotions but he could see that she isn't mad at all, he wanted to ask but he thought that she probably don't want to talk about it. He then finally realized that he has been staring at her for a while now.

"What?" Kyoko asked, not looking up at him.

Marui quickly looked away, popping his bubble gum. "Nothing."

Silence once again filled the air, all they could hear was Kyoko's scribbling with the notes while Marui just kept his gaze around the room. He then saw a small picture frame of a young Kyoko with a lady older than her but looked exactly like her. It was probably her mother and upon thinking that, a small smile formed through Marui's lips.

"Hey." Kyoko called.

Marui jumped a bit and quickly looked at her, blinking. "W-What?"

"Answer that." She shoved a paper to his face again.

The red-head winced slightly and took it from his face but he just nodded; he remembered that Yagyuu once told him not to argue with an angry woman. They are like cats that suddenly turned into an enormous beast. It reminded him of his mother getting extremely mad at his father and just a thought of it made him shiver.

Kyoko then looked down, her eyes were hidden under her black locks before speaking.

"Hey." She called once again.

Marui popped a bubble gum before looking her. "Yeah?" He asked, wondering what it is this time before blowing another gum.

"H… How did the cookies… taste?" She asked, her voice barely above whisper but made sure it was audible.

Blinking, Marui popped his gum once again; his eyebrow now elevating in curiosity. Why would she suddenly bring that up? She gave it to him like long ago this morning.

_Wait… could it be… she…? _Eyes widening slightly, realization struck him.

He realized that she's not mad at him but rather sad because she probably knows that the cookies didn't taste good. Marui then laughed, holding his stomach as he did so and after recovering – he noticed that the girl is still looking down, her face hidden behind her bangs. He blinked a few times and tried to think of what to do to cheer her up.

"It was good." He said as he leaned closer to her, trying to take a peek at her expression. He then saw how flustered the girl was, it surprised him but soon, he smiled before placing a hand on her head which made her eyes widen and looked up to see Marui's face close to her once again. He just nodded cheerfully at her with a reassuring smile. Kyoko then felt a strange feeling in her chest the moment he did that; the moment he placed a hand on her head and the moment he smiled at her like that to cheer her up. Completely new to this foreign feeling, she abruptly brushed his hand away from her head – blushing.

"I… I'm sorry. I know it's salty and all but I still gave it to you. I just… wanted to thank you." She muttered before looking down once again, biting her lower lip. "Since it was my first time baking cookies… I s-somehow wanted you to be the first one to taste it… " She added, her voice trembling slightly.

Magenta orbs widened slightly; it was his first time seeing Kyoko like this, it was like a complete different person and he somehow found it… cute. She was blushing madly and stuttering because she wanted him to taste the very first cookies that she made. Somehow, it really surprised him that she can be like this at times and he was glad to be the very first one to see this side of her; he kind of want her to show this side of her to him only. His lips formed a smile again before he chuckled.

"I told you, it didn't really taste that bad. If you want, next time, I can teach you though." He grinned widely at her.

"R… Really?" She looked up at him, her cheeks remaining pink.

Marui nodded cheerfully once again and poked her cheek. "And there I was, so worried of what might be wrong… so it was just all about the cookies. Huh." He teased her.

Her face reddening even more, she grabbed his finger and bended it – gaining a scream of pain from the male. "Y-You i-idiot! J-Just answer the questions will you!?" She exclaimed and threw a pillow at his face so he won't see her completely flustered face again. She couldn't help but wonder why she acts this way in front of this self-proclaimed genius when in truth, he's an idiot. It felt strange, but she didn't hate it.

* * *

Marui once again fell from the stairs right when he opened the front door at Kyoko's house. He winced in pain but somehow, remembering her earlier reactions made him smile. As he walked at the street, he was reminded of the cookies that he didn't get to give to Akaya or Niou thus he still has it inside his bag. His steps coming to a halt for a bit, he opened his bag and grabbed the bag of cookies inside. He grinned before opening it and took a bite at one of the cookies. The saltiness made him tear up slightly, but when he remembers her efforts of making it for him; somehow, it becomes the best cookie that he has ever tasted.


	4. The fluffiness of newly baked cupcakes

**Author's note: **This is the fluffy chapter 4! Enjoy! Reviews would be much appreciated. :)))

**Disclaimer:** I do not own PoT.

* * *

Marui yawned as he headed inside the classroom – striding straight to his seat. He stared in front with bored expression, practices are starting to get harder and harder everyday – it's really a challenge to his stamina; thank goodness, the girls give him enough sweets to replenish his energy. They all stood up and greeted the teacher who went inside, he has been getting a lot of high scores in Math these days; well, that's already a given for he is a genius – or so he thought. The teacher placed his things on the table before writing at the board.

"As you can see, the exams are slowly nearing. Before that, I want you to do a project in pairs. You can pair up with anyone. Right after pairing up with the partner of your choice, give your names to me. That's all." The teacher announced.

Many students inside stood excitedly as they went to their friends, some frowned because finding a partner would most likely be hard. Some girls then squealed, thinking if they should ask Marui or Niou to pair up with them. The two boys stared at each other, wondering if they should pair up instead when Marui's gaze fell on the troubled Kyoko; the female kept looking around, obviously trying to find a partner.

"Sorry, Niou, can't pair up with you. I have my tutor." Marui said, pointing his thumb to Kyoko with a smile, grinning.

"It's okay, pig. I don't want to pair up with you anyway, I'll probably do all the work." With a smirk, Niou walked to the guy near him – telling the guy to pair up with him.

Eyebrow twitching, Marui frowned. "I'm not fat. I'm gonna make you disappear, bastard." He said before heading towards to Kyoko.

"Hey, Kyoko-chan."

The girl twitched. "O-Oh, good morning, Marui-kun."

"Let's pair up." He said, grinning.

"E-Eh? How about Masahar—"

"He's a bastard. Plus, aren't you my tutor? So let's pair up."

"I… guess." Kyoko muttered, not liking the girls' glares at her.

The pair sent their name to the teacher and the teacher handed them their workbook, giving them the instructions of what to do. Kyoko examined the book for a while before turning to look at Marui.

"This is due this Monday already, we should be doing this tomorrow." The female stated impassively.

Marui nodded before popping a bubble gum. "Let's do it in my house then." He grinned, closing an eye as he did so.

"Your house? Why? And please refrain from chewing bubble gum." Raising an eyebrow, she eyed him.

"Ehhh, come on. Just let me this one time, I didn't get to eat anything sweet this morning. And I just want to, my brothers are there but it's just a project so we can do it even though there's a slight noise, yeah?"

Kyoko just sighed, pushing up her glasses. "Very well, I will be there tomorrow at 9 am so we could start right away." She said before going back to her seat.

Marui just grinned, thinking how genius he is because his plans are going well.

* * *

Saturday morning finally arrived, Kyoko prepared her things before heading for the door.

"Mom, I will be leaving now." She said, checking her things one last time.

"Where are you going?" Still sleepy, Kyoko's mother asked her.

"I will go to my classmate's house for our Math project."

Upon hearing that, her mother's face brightened – running to her and grabbing her hands.

"Is it the boy who gave us a cake the other day? So both of you are already going that far, huh. Why are you wearing such plain clothes, I bought you a dress last 2 years, you should use that!" Her mother exclaimed, happy because she thinks that Kyoko is already at that time of youth.

Coughing awkwardly, Kyoko's eyebrow twitched. "Marui-kun and I are just classmates… or friends? Either way, whatever you're thinkin—" Before she could even finish, her mother dragged her back to the room.

"At least wear something a little bit girly!" Her mother exclaimed, taking out the cutest clothes they have.

"Mom, we're just doing a project—"

"Even so, what will that guy's parents say. You should at least look decent so they'll like you." Taking out a dress, she made Kyoko try it.

The younger female's eyebrow twitched as her mother handed her the dress. "I don't need to wear a dre—"

"No. Or you won't be leaving." Crossing her arms, she commanded her daughter.

Sighing in defeat, Kyoko headed to the bathroom to change – muttering some sort of things. She took off her plain white t-shirt and plain black pants; staring at the peach dress with floral pattern and turn-down collar, her cheeks became slightly flushed. Is she really going to wear this cute thing? This is the one and only dress she has that her mom bought her 2 years ago and never wore it for she thought that it won't be necessary to do so. Her gray eyes stared at the dress for a while before wearing it; she looked at the mirror – her eyes widening slightly. It fitted her waist perfectly, the ends of it reaching her mid-thigh. She finally looked like a… girl, a cute one. Her mother quickly opened the door, squealing as she admired her daughter. She quickly took a comb and starting brushing her daughter's hair before tying it up to a ponytail.

"Waaaaaaaaaah, you're so cute! You should dress like this always!"

"No. This will be the first and last time." She wore her white shoes that matched the dress before grabbing her things, hurrying out of the house before her mom could even think of a weird idea. As Kyoko walked down the street, she gained stares from the people; probably thinking that it's the first time they saw that girl around the area. Coughing awkwardly, she pushed up her glasses and hurried to the train station. After arriving to the street where Marui's house is, she looked around to find the said house that Marui described her. When she finally found it, she stared at it for a while; she wasn't surprised that Marui's house is big – obviously a house for a big family. Slowly, she reached for the doorbell; Kyoko then heard giggles and shouting from some kids.

"Haaai, I'll be there!" She heard Marui exclaim from inside. Somehow, she's starting to feel nervous even though there's no need to. It shouldn't really matter if Marui sees her in a dress, right? It's just normal for girls to wear dresses from time to time. Not noticing it herself, her cheeks started heating up when the door opened.

"Come i—" Marui was cut-off as he stared at the girl in front of his house for a while, his eyes not blinking but rather, it widened slightly.

"Sorry, but who are you?" He asked, blinking but his magenta orbs are still widened.

"W-What? What are you sayi—" She was cut-off when Marui closed the door shut before opening it again widely, pointing a finger at her.

"K-Kyoko..?" He asked as if he's unsure, his cheeks tinted red slightly.

Kyoko just nodded, her cheeks reddening even more. "O-Oh." Marui blinked, however, his lips curved up to a grin before heading to the gates to open it. "My youngest brother tends to run outside so we close the gate." He said as he stared at Kyoko, secretly eyeing her from head to toe.

"You look good by the way." The red-head genius stated, looking away and scratching his cheek with a finger.

The bespectacled female blushed but just pushed up her glasses, muttering. "T-Thank you."

As they walked inside the house, two little boys were running around – trying to catch one another. They both have red hair but the other one has a lighter shade somehow. Kyoko stared at both of them, thinking that they are so cute because they look like little Bunta.

Marui sighed before approaching the two. "Hey, hey. We have a visitor so behave yourselves." He said before ruffling their heads.

"Onii-chan! Let's do pro-wrestling!" The older one exclaimed.

"Then tennis! Show us your new tricks!" The younger one followed.

"Let's do that later since—" Marui was cut-off when the little one jumped on his back, while the other took pushed him on the floor. Kyoko gasped at the sight, wondering if Marui is okay.

"Tell us you give up first!" They exclaimed at the same time, sitting on Marui's back. The self-proclaimed genius winced in pain and tapped his hand on the floor as if they are in a wrestling show.

"I give up! Give up!" He exclaimed which made the two jump off from him, yelling hooray.

Bunta quickly got up and started moving his right shoulder before turning to look at the surprised Kyoko, grinning. The female blinked a few times before blushing and looking away.

"I-Is this how you guys really play?" She asked.

"Yep. They like pro-wrestling and tennis." The male replied before pointing at the two kids. "The younger one is Bunko and the other one is Bunmei. They are my little brothers."

"Ohh… " Kyoko muttered, thinking that they are so cute; she couldn't help but want a sibling or at least a little brother too. The two little boys approached her and tugged at the end of her dress.

"Ne, ne, who are you?" Bunko asked, his magenta orbs staring widely at her.

"Why are you with Onii-chan?" Bunmei added, standing beside his little brother.

The female stared at them for a while before sending them a smile, bending slightly lower to match their height. "I'm Kyoko. Bunta's friend, nice to meet you." She said gently, patting their heads. Both of them blushed before nodding.

"Does that mean we're your friends too?" Bunmei asked.

Giggling, Kyoko nodded. "Of course, you can call me Onee-chan if you want." Oh how she would love it if she has little brothers.

The little boys stared at each other before hugging her legs. "Onee-chan!" They both exclaimed, giggling.

Bunta stared at his brothers for a while before letting out a chuckle. "Oi, oi. Enough now, we have a project to do so you two behave yourselves while mom is still out."

Both nodded at the same time and waved at Kyoko as she walked with Bunta upstairs. Kyoko sent them a smile before looking at Marui. "You have nice little brothers."

"Of course, they are /my/ brothers after all. They are genius like their Onii-chan." He said proudly as he opened the door to his room, letting Kyoko inside first.

The black-haired female walked inside, looking around; it was her first time in a boy's room. Marui's room smelled so sweet… but it has a male's scent inside, Bunta's scent lingering all over which is really sweet. After thinking about such thoughts, she mentally slapped herself and sat on the floor beside the table. Somehow, she felt comfortable inside his room - it was clean but still a bit messy.

"Should we start?" He asked and earned a nod from the female.

* * *

Hours passed by and they finally finished their project. Marui raised his arms and stretched. "Finally, we're done!" He exclaimed before letting himself fall on the floor. Kyoko smiled at the sight of him before packing up her things so she could go home; it was almost late anyway.

"I'm going home now. I'll leave our project here so bring it on Monday." She stated before heading for the door.

"Wait!" Marui got up in an abrupt manner, grabbing her wrist.

Blinking, Kyoko turned around to face him. "What?"

"Don't go home yet."

"Why?"

Grinning, Marui dragged her downstairs before looking at the note that his mom left – telling him that she's going to his aunt's house with his brothers. Confused, Kyoko quickly took her wrist back – raising an eyebrow, "So what exactly do you want?" She asked.

"I'll teach you how to bake, remember?"

"Eh…? Now?" Surprised, her gray orbs widened.

Marui nodded happily with his eyes closed as he led her to the kitchen, showing her the ingredients that he prepared for this day.

"You're so prepared… what are we going to bake then?"

"Cupcakes!" He exclaimed before handing her an apron, he wore his apron too before opening the ingredients.

The two of them started following the instructions at the cookbook. Kyoko made sure to follow each step carefully so she won't make the same mistake like the last time. Starting to sweat a bit, she wiped the beads of sweat that started to form on her forehead without noticing the flour that had just applied on her skin. Marui stared at her, trying not to laugh.

Kyoko blinked. "What?"

Marui pointed on her cheek so Kyoko wiped her cheek in case there's something there; without her noticing once again, she applied some flour on her cheek too – making her face full of flour. Bunta started laughing at the sight of her, making the female blush. Annoyed, Kyoko threw some remaining flour at his face.

The red-head coughed. "Hey! That's dirty!"

"Oh? Aren't you the one with dirty tricks." Smirking, she retorted.

Narrowing his eyes, he dipped a finger at the dough and smeared it on her nose. "W-Wha—" Surprised, Kyoko did the same and it became a dough and flour war instead. Even though the kitchen looked like a total mess now, they continued. Attempting to escape Marui, Kyoko turned around from him to run but the male quickly caught her due to his reflexes as a tennis player. Both of them laughing, Marui wrapped his arms around her from behind as he tried to put a dough on her face but Kyoko kept moving her face side to side to avoid his finger.

"W-Wait—I give up—" She giggled, grabbing his wrist weakly because she can't suppress her laugh by looking at Marui's face full of flour and dough.

"No way, I have to get the last point." He chuckled, tightening his arm around her waist from behind so she won't be able to move; he then quickly poked her nose with his finger to smear the dough before staring at her face one last time, grinning. Kyoko stared back at him too with a smile, her cheeks then quickly heated upon realizing how close their faces are and that he's actually hugging her from behind. She was feeling so embarrassed however, her body didn't want to move; even though she didn't want to admit it, she somehow liked the warmth and closeness. Somehow, she felt Marui's arm tightened even more around her waist – as if he won't let her go. The female could feel heart racing; the feeling of his body pressing against hers, the warmth it's giving her… it was her first time to feel such a thing and somehow, she really liked it and deep inside – she actually don't want him to let go of her. Marui then decided to wrap both of his hands around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Kyoko felt her heart pounding so hard against her chest that she's afraid he might hear it; and if he's actually not holding her – she would probably fall on the floor for her legs feel so weak right now. She could feel his breathing against her neck, she could smell his sweet scent, she could feel both of his muscular arms around her.

"Hey." Marui called, not moving one bit from their position.

Kyoko slowly opened her eyes, her face as red as tomato and she wouldn't dare to look at him because if she does, their face would be so close. "Y…Yes?" She replied weakly.

"Did you have fun…?" He asked, almost whispering into her ear.

Kyoko was almost feeling dizzy from all of this, she was feeling so embarrassed and… her heart was beating so fast but she didn't hate it. She liked it that she couldn't almost find her voice to reply so she just nodded. Marui grinned at her reply.

_Ding._

Marui looked at the oven. No matter how much he wanted to stay like that, he knows that he has to get the finished cupcakes before it turns black so he quickly lets go of her to open the oven. He still feels so happy, though; he just doesn't know why yet. However, Kyoko stumbled slightly when he let go of her – leaning against the wall. Her legs felt so weak as she panted slightly, placing a hand on her chest to check on her fast heartbeat. _Why am I being like this around that idiot… and what's with him, hugging me like that from behind. Why didn't I stop him?_ Pool of thoughts approached her mind as her cheeks remained tinted pink. The female stayed there for a while to regain her composure before walking to Marui – helping him put designs and icing on the cupcake, her heartbeat remained unsteady though.

* * *

Even though it wasn't that dark yet, Marui walked Kyoko to her house even though she told him not to. When they reached Kyoko's house, the female turned around to face the tennis player – smiling.

"Hey… T-Thank you for today." She said, blushing a bit.

Marui couldn't help but think that she's so cute when she blushes like that. "No problem. It's my thanks for the tutoring." He grinned.

Kyoko just nodded and hesitatingly walked towards him, blushing. Slowly, she leaned forward to close the gap between them. Marui blinked a few times as he felt his body froze, Kyoko's face was already just an inch when—

"Kyoko-chan, you're bac—" Kyoko's mother animatedly froze, her jaw dropping at the sight.

Kyoko's eyes widened and quickly stopped her actions, pushing Marui away instead. "I-I mean! T-T-Thank you for the cupcakes!" She exclaimed embarrassingly before running inside the house, leaving the confused Marui and her frozen mother.


End file.
